Charles McCarter and his wife Helen are about to celebrate their 18th-wedding anniversary when Helen comes home to find her clothes packed up in a U-Haul van parked in the driveway. Charles is divorcing Her. Helen moves in with her grandmother Madea, an old woman who doesn't take any lip from anyone. Madea helps Helen through these tough times by showing her what is really important in life.
The material comes off as a serious miscalculation in Perry and director Darren Grant's film adaptation.
– Tom Keogh,
Seattle Times,
25 Feb 2005
fresh:
Raucous and overwrought, the movie is still a hoot to watch and even more fun to talk back to.
– Ruthe Stein,
San Francisco Chronicle,
25 Feb 2005
rotten:
Perry doesn't have any delusions of artistry, and potentially, at least, that's refreshing. But any points he earns for lack of pretense are immediately gobbled up by his lack of subtlety.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
25 Feb 2005
rotten:
It's a cheap melodrama that presses all the right sentimental buttons.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
18 Mar 2005
fresh:
It's never less than watchable, a bizarre hybrid that somehow works as a whole, even though its various components don't mesh.